Guide to ad testing: How to test and scale ads for web-to-app in 2025

Most of your ad budget will go into just a few creatives. The tricky part is knowing which ones are worth scaling.

Creative ad testing has become a core part of every high-performing web-to-app strategy. If you don’t have a system for testing and improving your ads, you’ll spend more and learn less.

In this article, I’m sharing how I approach testing and scaling creatives, based on the same process I’ve used while running 7-8 figure monthly spends at places like Cash App and Calm. These are practical, repeatable tactics that high-performing growth teams use every day.

How many ad creatives do I need to test for success?

The top 2% of ads now spend ~50% of budget according to Appsflyer’s 2025 report. That means 98 of 100 creatives don’t perform well enough to scale or even survive the test. In my experience, it usually takes dozens of tests to find one that really scales.

The more concepts you test, the better your chances to hit something that works and is good for scale. According to Facebook research, fast-growing companies test 11x more creatives than average. Not just because they can afford it, but because that’s how algorithms work.

Creative fatigue, shifting audience behavior, and platform algorithms make ad testing not optional, but fundamental.

What is a good ad testing framework?

Creative testing works best when it runs continuously. A simple loop, repeated often, brings better results than occasional campaigns.

We’ve seen the best results when new ads go live every week. Even when current creatives perform well, add fresh ones to the mix. That keeps delivery stable and performance strong.

Here’s what makes it work:

• Low-cost production. Modular templates and AI tools help build fast. You don’t need to be perfect.
• High variation. Test new hooks, formats, visuals, and copy. Small changes can shift results.
• Steady output. Regular launches prevent performance drops and reduce fatigue.
• Systematic ad testing. Launch multiple versions and let the audience choose the winner.

What are the best performing ad trends in 2025? 

Trends come and go. But when you’re testing fast, they open up more room for experimentation.

• Lo-fi statics. Formats like Post-it notes, Slack chats, iMessage threads, and whiteboard scribbles. They look raw and messy on purpose. And that’s exactly the point – they blend into the feed and don’t scream “BUY ME”.

• AI-generated UGC. Tools like Arc Ads, Pulley, or Cify make it easy to spin up testimonial-style videos without actors. Production is cheap enough to run 50 variations and just see what sticks. Even if 9 out of 10 don’t convert, the one that does can carry the spend.

• AI visual hooks. Image models like ChatGPT, Midjourney or open-source alternatives (Replicate is also a good starting point) help generate scroll-stopping concepts fast. Add overlays in Canva and test early-stage ideas without sinking time into full creative builds.
• Podcast-style creative. Voice-over paired with a waveform and some lo-fi visuals. They grab attention without looking like an ad. That’s especially useful for web-to-app flows that rely on storytelling. Feeds are full of noise, but people still stop for voices that feel expert and real.

Some of these are better suited for web-to-app than others. Static Lofi and podcast-style creatives tend to convert best when paired with native-feeling landing pages. AI hooks are great for testing scroll-stopping ideas early in the funnel.

You don’t need to chase trends, but knowing them can make your ad testing smarter and more diverse.

How to find the right messaging that resonates with my audience?

Ad testing starts way before you open Figma or hit “record.” Before working on any ad, I look at how people actually talk.

Here’s how to find it:

• Start with your app reviews. Export them, drop into ChatGPT, and ask it to pull out 20 concise 5-star ones. These can be turned into static ads: short quotes with high love-of-intent. In one project we tested 50 of them and found 3-5 that consistently performed across video, static, and UGC formats.
• Dig through Reddit. Search for your app, category, or problem space. Look at how real people talk about their needs, frustrations, and habits. These exact phrases often make the best hooks, better than anything copywriters come up with in a vacuum.
• Check post comments and ad replies. See how users react to your own ads (and your competitors’). What are they curious about? What language do they use? A single phrase from a comment can turn into a high-performing angle.

The point is to listen, extract, and test what your audience wants. A good ad speaks the way your users already do.

What does real “creative diversity” look like?

Small changes like tweaking the colors or shuffling the headlines can help, but rarely lead to breakthroughs. To find winning creatives, you need fundamentally different ideas.

Start by mapping out your options:

What you’re exploring	If it’s like this…	Try this instead
Motivation	Generic benefits like “save time”	Tap into specific pains: “Can’t focus? Try this in your next break”
Awareness stage	Selling features to users who barely know the problem	Lead with the problem they do feel – and only then introduce your solution
Message	“Best app for blah-blah” or “#1 on the App Store”	Use real testimonials, user quotes, or emotional hooks
Format	Polished promo video	Lo-fi styles: Post-it notes, text convos, webcam rants, or Reddit screenshots
Tone	Always polished and formal	Test casual, bold, offbeat, or even annoyed tones. People don’t scroll for perfect

You don’t need to hit everything at once. But if all your ads use the same angle and format, you’re leaving better ideas unexplored.

Real creative diversity means testing different ways of seeing rather than different ways of designing.

How to structure and budget my ad campaign?

Ad testing works best when it’s structured. Here’s a setup proven to deliver consistent results at scale.

• Create a dedicated ad campaign. Keep experiments separate from evergreen. It’s the only way to get clean results and full control.
• 1 variable per test. Use 4-6 ad variations in each ad set. Change just one element at a time: headline, hook, visual, or format. This helps you understand what made the difference.
• Budget 10-20% for ad testing. Not just once. Every week. That’s how you stay ahead of fatigue and keep your winners fresh.
• Use stop-loss triggers. Avoid wasting ad spend on poor performers.
  Set clear thresholds, like:
  – No conversions after 3x CPA = pause
  – CPA exceeds goal by 50% = pause
  – $X spent with no traction = pause

• Move winners into Evergreen. Once a creative hits your benchmark, feed it into your best-performing ad sets. Build a loop that keeps Evergreen fresh, so fatigue never eats your performance.

How to scale winning ad creatives

Found a creative that works? Now set it up for scale without breaking what made it work.

• Use Post IDs, not duplicates. Duplicating creates a fresh post and resets engagement. Reusing the original Post ID keeps all the likes, comments, and social proof.
• Stick to 6 creatives per ad set. That’s the balance Meta seems to like. Keep enough variation without spreading delivery too thin.
• Broad targeting + cost caps. Let the algorithm explore wide, but cap bids to keep performance in check. Broad audiences usually win long-term.
• Bid higher for better users. If you’re using Meta’s bid multiplier API, you can bid more for high-LTV groups (like women 35+) without touching your main targeting.

No need to reinvent the setup. Find what works and give it the space and budget to keep performing.

What metrics matter most in ad testing

Once you’re testing consistently, the next step is knowing what to watch.

Metric	How to measure	Good benchmark
Hook rate	3-second views ÷ impressions	30%+
Hold rate	15-second views ÷ impressions	~10%
CTR	Link clicks ÷ impressions	~1%
Creative hit rate	Winning creatives ÷ total tested	10%
Naming consistency	Structured naming for fast filtering (e.g. Format_Hook_Variant)	Helps spot patterns

The goal is to build a system that helps you spot what’s working and double down faster.

TL;DR: Creative ad testing checklist

• Test often. Don’t wait for fatigue.
• Don’t chase perfection. Aim for variety.
• Focus on hooks, messages, and formats.
• Let the algorithm vote. Give it options.
• Keep creative costs low to test more.
• Use stop-loss rules to cut weak ads fast.
• Track hook rate and hold rate.
• Move winners to Evergreen with post IDs.
• Cap bids instead of raising budgets blindly.

Final thoughts

Creative ad testing is a key part of steady, scalable growth. It helps you learn faster, spot what resonates, and keep performance strong across your funnel. For web-to-app campaigns, it brings clarity to what actually works, and makes it easier to improve with every launch.

I’ve run thousands of video ad creatives over the years, and one thing became painfully clear: producing and testing them at scale is way harder than it should be. Too much time spent tweaking edits, exporting files, and trying to stay organized.

So I built Sovran – a tool that helps marketers assemble, version, and test video ads more efficiently. It saves me hours every week, and I finally spend more time learning what works instead of managing files.

You can check it out here: Sovran.ai
And find me on LinkedIn: Manson Chen